Dáil debates

Thursday, 24 November 2016

An Bille um an gCúigiú Leasú is Tríocha ar an mBunreacht (Neodracht) 2016: Second Stage [Private Members] - Thirty-Fifth Amendment of the Constitution (Neutrality) Bill 2016: Second Stage [Private Members]

 

6:05 pm

Photo of Mick WallaceMick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In many ways the Bill could not be more timely. On Tuesday, the European Parliament backed plans to create a defence union by 369 votes to 255. The non-binding resolution states 2% of GDP should be spent on defence, the establishment of multinational forces and an EU headquarters built for crisis management operations, enabling the EU to act where NATO is unwilling to do so. The resolution tasks the European Council to lead the creation of common union defence policy.

All types of arguments have been put forward for this move, from Russia to the victory for Donald Trump, with Brexit being the most recent, but the military union has been in the works for a while. The main strategy is laid out in the document Shared Vision, Common Action: A Stronger Europe, which was published last June. The strategy reads like an Orwellian nightmare. It states NATO and the battle groups are not enough to stand up to global threats, we need a European army, Europe's soft power needs to be backed by a hard power and Europe must stabilise the Middle East, stop smuggling networks and fight terrorism. Federica Mogherini, the EU foreign policy chief and one of the central drivers of the move, has said it is starting to be clear to everyone we can only succeed in providing security to our citizens if we work together as a true union with the full potential of a superpower in the field of security and defence.

The whole issue of the European army is worrying to say the least, particularly in light of the fact most European countries are busy bombing the Middle East back to the Stone Age. Perhaps this move will mean every European country will join the carnage and invest more in the industry of death. The defence plan speaks about pre-emptive peace building missions in the Middle East and northern Africa. Is this doublespeak for aerial bombing campaigns? It is hard not to think so given the track record of the countries beating the drum for the EU army. Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden and the UK all participated in the NATO-led air strikes on Libya in 2011 and what a disaster that was. Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy and the UK are among the European countries that have been bombing Syria in the US-led strikes over the past two years. Germany, France and the UK have all publicly expressed support for the ongoing war crimes in Yemen being perpetrated by Saudi Arabia with direct support coming from the US, France and the UK, and from Ireland through allowing the use of Shannon by the US military. The death toll of the war there over the past 20 months is so high the Red Cross has started to donate entire morgue units to Yemeni hospitals. Not a single word of condemnation has come from our Government. Instead, in direct contradiction of the stated policy of neutrality, we facilitate this death and destruction.

Freedom of information documents obtained by Shannonwatch on permits for landing and flyovers in 2014 reveal a total of 272 flights were given permits to take weapons or explosives through Shannon Airport. Machine guns, troops, missiles, rocket mortars, explosives and other war materials were routinely given permission to fly to Irish space. On six flights alone, 190 metric tonnes of bullets passed through our borders on the way to Afghanistan from the US. God knows how many people they killed.

On 20 May 2014, we allowed missile parts to be flown through Ireland on the way to the United Arab Emirates. On 15 and 16 November 2014, cluster bombs, a brutal instrument of war that Ireland helped to get banned years ago, were given permission to go to our trade partner Saudi Arabia. Both of these brutally authoritarian regimes and the US have been committing war crimes in Yemen for 20 months, directly targeting civilians using cluster bombs sold by the US, bombing markets, hospitals and public gatherings. We know for a fact permissions for munitions landings and overflights granted by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport lead directly to the deaths of countless civilians. Why are we taking part in these crimes? It makes a mockery of the notion we might be neutral.

Only a few weeks ago, five US military planes were in Shannon Airport on the same day. Aside from the ongoing assault on Yemen, there is a big build-up in support of the assault on Mosul in Iraq. According to Shannonwatch, each of the military planes must be on a military operation in spite of US and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade assurances they are not. No such aircraft ever leaves its home airbase unless it is on an authorised military operation. They are not playing golf in the Middle East.

The same information Shannonwatch obtained through freedom of information to discover for certain we are helping drown the Middle East in weapons is not now forthcoming. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is refusing to give us details it gave previously, with no legitimate reason for keeping the public in the dark about this. This is particularly worrying as the number of requests for landings and overflights are higher than they have been for a number of years. An incredible amount of aerial bombing is going on by the US and its sidekicks, and much more is planned in the coming months. It is soul destroying when we see the images of destruction in the Middle East, knowing our Government helps it happen and we help to kill people, including women and children, and the Government does not seem to care. We certainly do not seem to care about the people who suffer from our actions. We agreed to the EU sending Afghans back to a country we have helped the US bomb for 15 years.

They are still bombing there. A few weeks ago, two US soldiers were killed in a firefight with the Taliban and, in retaliation, air strikes were called in and 36 civilians were killed, including a significant number of children and infants. In late September a drone struck the celebration of a tribal elder's return from his pilgrimage to Mecca and 15 civilians were killed. We are sending people back to a war zone but many of the children we are sending back have nothing there any more. Family members are either dead or living abroad and, sometimes, by going back to places like Afghanistan they put their lives in danger. They left because they had to save their lives, but if they or their extended family had fallen foul of the Taliban or ISIS or had relatives who had worked with the US army, they were targeted by some of the groups in retaliation.

We have been sending refugees back to Turkey which, far from being safe for refugees, is hardly safe for Turkish people. Mr. Erdoğan is talking about bringing back the death penalty and has thrown 130,000 people in jail, including a record number of journalists. Refugees continue to face many obstacles to registration and access to education, employment and health care. Turkey has effectively sealed its border with Syria and has shot at forcibly returned women, men and children fleeing violence, persecution and human rights abuses in that country. It is not a safe third country and the continuation of the Turkey-EU deal is just another signal of our inability to take responsibility for our actions in the Middle East and beyond.

Successive Irish Governments have made a mockery of Irish neutrality. They have facilitated the US wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria and openly criticised Russia but they cannot see the part that they themselves played in this chapter of human history. Russia should be criticised and we will never defend its actions, but let us call a spade a spade and criticise everyone involved in this destruction. The Minister said in his opening statement "we believe that disputes between states should be resolved in a peaceful manner". So do we. He quoted the UN charter by saying, "All members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered." What we facilitated in Afghanistan, Iraq and in other parts of that region has not done anything for international peace, has done nothing for world security and certainly has not done anything for justice. I do not believe the Irish people are in favour of this. In a Red C poll, referred to earlier by Deputy Daly, the Irish were asked whether they approved of Shannon Airport being used as a US military base. In response, just under 60% said they did not. I do not just hold this Government accountable for this because Fianna Fáil has behaved the very same. When in Opposition Fine Gael, and even Labour Party Members, wanted planes inspected and wondered how we could know whether there were arms on military planes if we did not inspect them, but as soon as they went into power they did not want to know. I know that the Ministers present do not agree with us but I do not think it would affect our business if we stopped Shannon being used as a military airport. It would be a positive thing worldwide, for everyone's sake.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.